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studioithi@gmail.com
(+91) 7004808193 / 8431322979
Shoonya
Location
Khamariya, Chattisgarh, India
Project Type
A Community Temple
Main Gate
Area
2500 sq.ft.
Status
Ongoing
This design honors the region’s historical essence, carefully studying Hindu temple architecture and reinterpreting it in a contemporary context.
Set on a narrow parcel of land amidst existing neem and peepal trees, the project aims to create a place of worship for the community in the Khamariya district of Chhattisgarh, blending nature and spirituality.
The Intent
- To craft a curious and exciting spiritual journey.
- To create a positive environment that enables individuals to reconnect with their inner self and their deity on a personal level.
- To harmonize the natural vegetation with the space for the deity, fostering a wholesome experience.
The Design Decisions
- The plan is rooted in the proportions, sequencing, and calculations outlined in the ancient text ‘Manasara’.
- The rigidity of the grid pattern is softened by the organic landscape, which gently guides worshippers toward the sanctum.
- The rhythmic proportions of the columns and the shikhar symbolize the connection between earth and sky—rooted in the ground yet reaching for the heavens, linking the people in between.
The Materiality an techniques
- Chhattisgarh’s rich temple-building tradition, particularly in brick Shiv temples, serves as inspiration. This legacy is continued, but with new-age materials and technology.
- Custom-crafted reddish-orange porotherm bricks are intricately interlocked to form a sculptural shikhar. This design invites slivers of light through its numerous pockets, creating a dynamic interplay of light and shadow while blending tradition and innovation.
- The Garbhagriha (sanctum) features intricate stone jaali windows and a skylight, flooding the space with natural light from multiple directions, enhancing its serene atmosphere.
- The shikhar’s plan is inspired by the Vastu Purusha Mandala, adhering to its proportions to ensure both structural integrity and spiritual alignment.
This is the ‘entry portal’ for the upcoming community housing project. As Allan Wexler said, “When we cross a threshold, we change a space and it changes us” We started the project by designing this portal first, in line with the brief of our client who wanted a ‘Luxurious and Modern look’ to the space, as this portal would then set the mood for the design of the upcoming model house as well. About the structure - It is a RCC framed structure, with steel grids to clad the HPC & WPC panels. One of the most crucial aspects taken into account was the lighting of the structure, because the site surroundings were predominantly dark and dimly lit.
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